Outlive (The Baggers Trilogy, #1)

by Chad Leito

  Standing there with Byron Turner yelling at him, Baggs felt that Spinks’s plan was too simple to work. It seemed bold and smart in practice, but now, while trying to execute it, it seemed childish and idealistic.

  Spinks explained that she had gone to the bathroom while eating dinner in the Turner’s dining room last week, just as Baggs had, and that she had discovered a computing mainframe down the hall. Baggs had seen this also. Spinks explained that none of the K9s or electronics that were in the Turner’s house stored their own software. Rather, the strings of code that controlled the electronics were stored in a database and supplied to the appropriate appliances through a wireless transmission system. Spinks said that if Turner’s house was run on the applications she suspected, she would be able to shut down all of their technologies.

  “Then,” she had told Baggs and Larry in the helicopter, “it’ll simply be a mad dash to get the hell out of there. Without operating K9s that can be sent out to catch us, we can probably hop over the neighboring fences, get onto a public road, and try to make it to somewhere safe.”

  “But they’ll just catch us later!” Larry had protested. “They’ll send police after us and then we’d go to trial for ruining Turner’s software. That stuff must be expensive.”

  Spinks had disagreed with this point. “No, we won’t be charged with anything. The software gets backed up on a 24-hour basis—most places do it at twelve in the morning. The software will be sent to some kind of a information cloud every night. Byron Turner probably will just have to go over to his database, click a few buttons, and his software will be restored—no harm done.”

  “But he’ll still want to kill us. I mean, we’ll still know about the steroids,” Baggs had said.

  Spinks had smiled slyly. “This whole thing is bigger than you think, Baggs. The way that society is set up now won’t last forever. I’m not the only hacker that’s gotten close to deleting the whole system and hitting reset on our entire way of life. Other people have gotten close too. And, if we can escape, I’m going to go underground for a while, bide my time, and then when the right opportunity arises, I’m going to reset it all. There will be no record of who owns what house, who has how many CreditCoins, or anything like that. The rich have power because of software. But when the software is all reset, that power goes away.”

  Her eyes had lit up in a way that slightly disturbed Baggs when she talked about this. “Think about it; it’ll be like what will happen tonight at Turner’s home, except on a bigger scale. The only reason he will be able to detain us is because his robots will work for him. We won’t be able to get around his K9s—they’re too strong. But if they don’t have a software database to get information from, then they’ll just lie there, useless. Then, it’ll just be us against the Turners. God knows that Turner isn’t going to be able to run fast enough to catch us.

  “But it’s bigger than just K9s, Baggs, that’s what a lot of people don’t understand! All of the police’s guns run on software, and so do their helicopters. The government’s tanks run on software. Their lights run on software—it helps to save electricity. Basically, everything is controlled by code, and if you can destroy the code, and all the backups, then the power will shift. The poor outnumber the rich ten thousand to one. If the wealthy don’t have all their gadgets, they will be at the mercy of those who they have oppressed for decades. I doubt that they will be shown mercy, though. It was just a phrase.”

  Larry had rebutted—“But they’ll still have guns!”

  Spinks shook her head. “This is what so many people don’t understand! Guns don’t work the way they used to. They’re not simple metal machines that shoot a hammer forward, make gunpowder explode, and then allow a projectile to discharge through a barrel. Even the simplest handguns don’t work without software anymore. Our society will be utterly turned upside down if the software is deleted.”

  As Baggs had looked out the window at the city lights a few hours ago, goose bumps had crawled up his arms. If we were able to avoid Turner for long enough so that Spinks could reset all the software in New Rome, he would stop coming after us. He’d probably be killed by an angry mob. For some reason, this feels wrong. It feels like I shouldn’t be a part of this, but I also don’t support the way things are now. I don’t support eleven year olds whoring themselves out on the streets, or dead children being eaten by rats in alleyways. I don’t support Maggie and Olive starving while Turner rides his horse around his estate. So I’ll do it.

  Baggs had asked what all it would take to delete all the software that New Rome runs on. Spinks hadn’t given a clear answer. She had said that she didn’t honestly know. “They’ve probably put up new firewalls since my last try. It’ll be pretty involved. It won’t be easy, and they’ll probably try to kill us. But we need to escape from Turner’s before we worry about all that. I’ll explain it later. Just know that we’ll probably have to take a trip back to the Colosseum if we want to actually stop this.”

  Now Baggs was standing in the Turner’s kitchen, trying to create a diversion for the K9s so that they wouldn’t find Spinks messing with the Turner’s mainframe and subdue her. Her plan was to simply delete the software at the Turner’s house, as she wouldn’t have the time or the resources to do a nationwide software reset in the Turner’s computer room. The robotic dogs were staring at Baggs. He still hadn’t responded to Turner. He took another step over the glossy brick kitchen floor.

  “I said get out!” Byron Turner said. His beady eyes were shining with hate and frustration.

  Gigi was looking at Baggs though hot tears.

  “What were you guys just talking about?” Baggs asked. He took a step closer to the Turner family. Roger the K9 was growling softly, warning Baggs that he should stop proceeding forward.

  I hope the power goes off soon, Baggs thought. He looked out the back window and saw that there was a concrete balcony stretching out from the house. He saw black, iron stairs that descended towards the grass. When the K9s collapse to the floor, I’m going to go out the back and sprint down the staircase. Then, I’ll look around for Spinks and Larry. I’ll run with them if I see them, but if I don’t, they’re on their own and I’m taking off. Without Spinks, he had no long-term plan for how to evade Turner, but that wasn’t really his biggest concern at the time. His current worry was that Byron would kill him tonight and he needed to escape immediate death before thinking about the future.

  “I SAID GET OUT!” Byron Turner bellowed, his face turning red; ugly green veins were beating angrily on his forehead.

  “I asked a question: What were you talking about? Why is Gigi crying?”

  “Baggs…” Gigi said, but then her mother slapped her smartly across the cheek. Gigi looked up at her mother with tear-filled, hurt eyes.

  Cindi’s voice became a low roar. “Don’t talk to him. Don’t you ever try to talk to this man again!”

  “James, I have asked you nicely several times to get out. If you don’t leave this instant, I’m going to tell the K9s to escort you out,” Byron said. He had forced his voice down to a more normal volume, but he was still trembling with anger.

  Baggs looked at Roger the K9; the robot was crouched low on its haunches with red eyes locked onto Baggs. The machine’s leather lips were curled up towards its nose, revealing metal teeth that were as sharp as syringes.

  “And they won’t take pains to not injure you,” Turner said.

  Despite Turner’s warning, Baggs did not turn and walk away. I wonder how much more time Spinks needs. He did, however, stop walking forward. Gigi’s K9 was approaching him. Her guardian looked as though it could easily kill Baggs. “I came in here to ask a question, Byron.” Baggs said, simply trying to stall. After the words came out, he realized that he in fact didn’t have a question to ask and started trying to think of one.

  “You can address me as Councilman Turner.”

  “Okay, yes sir,” Baggs said, acting subservient to the councilman.

  Byron Turner sneered a
nd became even more aggressive upon seeing Baggs’s gesture of submissiveness. “And don’t think that just because you’re out of the Outlive contest that you don’t have to respect me! I invited you over for dinner and you barge into my kitchen while I’m having a private conversation with my daughter and wife. Unacceptable. That is so rude. That is immoral,” Turner said.

  Baggs thought, you’re awfully judgmental of my morals for a man who, according to his daughter, is going to try to kill me. “Yes, sir,” Baggs said. I need to keep Turner talking. If I can keep this up for a few more minutes, the power will go off and I’ll run out the door.

  “Now go!” Turner barked.

  Gigi was sobbing, clutching her arms to her chest. Her mouth was open and she was wheezing in and out in hysterics. Every ounce of doubt that Baggs had had that Turner would kill him was gone upon seeing Gigi in a fit of hysterics. He’s going to do it tonight, Baggs thought. Maybe even in the next few minutes. Maybe the tea Cindi served us is laced with poison, or maybe they were planning on poisoning our food. Maybe the story about the Cobbs coming over was just a fib to get us to relax some. Whatever is going to happen, Gigi knows about it.

  “Well I had a question,” Baggs said.

  The councilman stomped his foot like a child who is not getting his way and this made Baggs want to giggle, but he suppressed the urge. “I don’t give a bloody damn what your question is, I asked you to go!”

  “No,” Baggs said, and he took a step forward. Gigi’s K9 was now standing two feet in front of him, ready to pounce. “Listen, it’s just a real quick question!”

  “I’M TALKING WITH MY FAMILY! GO TO THE GODDAMNED DINING ROOM!”

  Baggs thought he’s not used to people defying him. This is kind of fun.

  “Mr. Councilman…”

  “YOU HAVE THREE SECONDS! THREE!”

  “But, sir…”

  “TWO!”

  “Byron, if you’d just hear me out then…”

  “ONE! OKAY, DOGS…”

  But Turner never finished his command, because something he read on Baggs’s face stopped him mid-sentence. Baggs wasn’t looking at Turner but was gazing out at the rolling yard behind him in the dwindling daylight. Approximately halfway between the mansion and the neighboring fence was a grey-haired man sprinting away from the house.

  Larry, you bastard! You betrayed us again. You were supposed to wait for the power to go off.

  Baggs guessed that Larry had gotten tired of waiting for Spinks and decided to go out on his own.

  Byron Turner spun around and followed Baggs’s gaze out onto the lawn where Larry was sprinting. He cursed and then strode briskly over to the back door, opened it and then walked across the porch to get a better view. As he did this, his wife, daughter, and Baggs followed him out onto the concrete balcony.

  “I had a surprise for you that I was going to save until after dinner, but I guess that it can’t wait any longer,” Byron Turner said, sneering at Baggs with his white teeth. “I don’t usually keep a gun up here, however, today is a special occasion.” One of the wooden boards lining the wall proved to be false. Turner opened it up and pulled out a long, sleek, black rifle.

  Baggs’s heart was in his throat. “What are you talking about?” Baggs asked. Gigi was crying even harder now.

  Turner looked at Baggs. “Don’t play stupid with me. Gigi’s K9 alerted me to the fact that the girl had written a little note to you.”

  “NO DADDY! DON’T SHOOT HIM!” Gigi screamed at the top of her lungs. Cindi reached back and slapped her daughter again, harder this time.

  Byron Turner didn’t seem to have heard. He picked up the rifle and aimed it out at where Larry was running across the lawn.

  Spinks, hurry, Baggs thought. After he shoots Larry, he’s going to turn that thing on me!

  The rifle did not have a scope attached to the top of the firearm—it didn’t need one; the software instructed the bullet to spin in such a way as to correct for human error. In order to hit a target with his firearm, Turner only had to aim the barrel of the gun in the target’s approximate vicinity. He put the butt of the weapon on his shoulder, roughly aimed, and then pulled the trigger.

  The blast was incredibly loud. The smell of gunpowder wafted over the deck. Far away on the lawn, Larry Wight’s head exploded in a flash of red blood.

  Gigi was screaming hysterically now. Byron Turner was giggling. Roger was standing between Baggs and the councilman.

  C’mon, Spinks! Baggs thought, and then he launched his large body forward, arms up to guard his face.

  He sprinted towards Byron Turner before the big man could turn around. Roger jumped upwards and tried to bite at Baggs’s throat. Baggs shoved his forearm into the creature's mouth, and barely felt it as the titanium teeth sliced through his skin and began to jerk back and forth. Baggs continued to run, Roger dangling from his bloody arm. He could hear Gigi’s K9 sprinting at him from behind.

  If that thing takes me down, there will be no getting back up. Turner will shoot me immediately.

  Byron rotated his head, saw Baggs and began to bring the gun around to face him.

  Gigi was still screaming.

  Larry was still dead on the lawn.

  The K9s were still moving, meaning that either Spinks was having a problem or something was taking longer than expected.

  Turner was expecting Baggs to go for the rifle, but he didn’t. With his right hand, Baggs punched Turner heavily in the cheek, sending the councilman’s head rocking backwards. The fat man cried out in surprise and it was then that Baggs struck the rifle with his fist. He punched the middle of the barrel with his open palm and the firearm fell three stories to the grass. Turner looked dumbly down at the weapon that he could no longer reach.

  “Titan, NO!” Baggs heard Gigi scream.

  There was then a fierce pain on Baggs’s left thigh and the big robot brought him down mercilessly. Meanwhile, Roger continued to tear at his left arm, growling while he did so.

  A robotic voice came from somewhere on Gigi’s K9, Titan: “You have attacked a councilman, which is a felony punishable by death. I have phoned the police and they will arrive shortly.”

  “NO!” Turner screamed. “Don’t phone the police! Tell them not to come! Damnit! NO! NO! NO!”

  Baggs was flat on his back, being pulled helplessly one way by Roger and another by Titan. His blood was puddling beneath him.

  “NOT THE POLICE! STUPID MACHINE!” Byron Turner shrieked. He ran half a step forward, planted his left foot on the concrete, and then kicked Baggs’s head like it was a soccer ball. “I’m going to finish you before they get here.” Baggs cried out and tried to get to his feet, but the K9s subdued him. His ears were ringing. Gigi was screaming. Byron Turner kicked Baggs in the back of the head again, using the top of his foot. The impact made Baggs bite his tongue for the second time that day, and he felt hot blood filling his mouth with a metallic taste.

  Hurry up, Spinks, Baggs thought.

  Baggs heard feet shuffling, signaling that he was about to receive another blow to the head, but then it never came. Baggs looked up and saw that Gigi had jumped up from the concrete patio, wrapped her legs around her father and was clawing at his face. Cindi Turner was running after her daughter to assist her husband, but this proved futile. Byron Turner grabbed his daughter by the collar of her shirt, picked her up, and threw her down onto the ground. Her head cracked on the concrete and she was still.

  “Oh my God!” Cindi said.

  Byron Turner grunted and began to walk towards Baggs again. “See what the bitch gets for helping you? When the police get here, I’m going to say that you did that to her.” Turner reared back and kicked Baggs in the side of the head. The ringing in his ears was worse. He’s going to kill me. It’s actually happening, Tessa. Not in the way I thought it would, in the Colosseum, but it sure is happening.

  But then, the atmosphere darkened suddenly. The glow from the kitchen inside had turned off, and the lights that shone out onto the
lawn were utterly dark. The two K9s that had been gripping Baggs so violently before were now lying limp beside him.

  “What the…” Byron Turner said, but Baggs didn’t give him enough time to finish his thought. He reared back and kicked the man in the crotch, then stood and pushed him over. The fat councilman went over easily, and Baggs took off, running down the stairs.

  You did it, Spinks! Baggs thought.

  From behind him, Baggs could hear Byron Turner shouting and his wife sobbing hysterically. “GET HIM!” She screamed, as though Byron Turner could catch someone like Baggs without the assistance of K9s.

  There was also the sound of sirens in the distant, signaling the approach of a police helicopter, responding to the call made by the K9s. Damn, they’re fast when you call from a mansion like this.

  Baggs was on the lawn, huffing and puffing as he sprinted over the grass, when the helicopter came into view. The machine had huge blades that whirred quickly through the night air. A spotlight shone down on the grass, illuminating select spots on the lawn in a white color that lit up the area like it was daylight. Baggs’s chest was tight. He was still exhausted from running through the maze earlier in the day, but he didn’t let up. He ran at an absolute full out pace, hoping that if he could just make it off the premises that he might have a chance.

  The spotlight came down upon him and Baggs cried out as though the light was painful to him. Then, the helicopter began to descend.

  The next thing that happened actually was painful. There was a gun blast, and then something that looked like a dart was protruding from his left shoulder, which was a bloody mess from where Roger had attacked him.

  “Oh, no, no, no!” Baggs cried. He kept running.

  On closer examination, the thing that he thought of as a dart was a syringe, and the plunger was automatically dropping towards the needle, injecting Baggs with clear liquid.

  “No!” Baggs said again, and then he fell to his knees.

  “No! No!” he muttered, and he began to crawl over the grass. He still hadn’t reached Larry’s body, and he knew he wasn’t going to make it. Behind him he heard the police helicopter land. The Turners were still shouting from the balcony, which was still dark.